A brief glimpse into the life of Rodney Sharp, Promotions Coordinator for five radio stations in the Killeen / Temple area. I am everywhere at once and plan to document it as often as humanly possible using pictures. For some strange reason people around me have started calling me by my nickname 'Rowdy'. I try to enjoy everything around me, and as you will soon see... Rowdy happens.

Friday, February 20, 2009

I realize that there are some of you that are not on Myspace, therefore didn't get the chance to experience the 'mullet phase' with me. I have always been an admirer of the glorious mullet haircut. I mean, what more can you say about it other than it exemplifies the American attitude of 'Business in the front, Party in the back'. I have always felt that the definition of a mullet kind of describes me. I can be extremely professional at work but leave that side of me behind after I leave the office to cut loose and have a great time. That being said I decided that for Halloween I would have a true American mullet. This took much planning you see. For a legitimate mullet one would have to grow their hair out for an extended period of time. I grew my hair out for four months so that it would be long enough int he back for it to be considered a true mullet. Then the glorious day of the mullet began!

I did draw in the 'chops' a little bit so that it added a little emphasis to my outfit...

It was a great and wonderful day!

I wish I could say that I had been drinking, but this was a completely lucid idea...

Chuckin' the deuce...

All in all the Glorious Mullet Experience was all that I could hope that it would have been. I went to work that Friday with the Mullet, got a few laughs, and even made a trip to Wal-Mart with the mullet where amazingly enough I felt like I fit in for the first time ever in a small town Wal-Mart. If only there was a nascar race that weekend and I had been able to go... maybe next time!

Monday, February 9, 2009

Friday the 20th of February we went out to Denim and Diamonds here in Temple. It was a blast! Both bands put on a terrific show and were really cool to talk with.

The Manager of the club that the concert was at... Its a tough job, can't you tell?The Rich O'Toole Band...Backstage after they finished their set.Honeybrowne (as seen on CMT quite often) and me!Honeybrowne as they were playing on stage. They were real nice guys. All in all a fun night was had by everyone involved. I hope to see them again in this area at a much larger venue.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Today I went with Aaron out to the Welcome Back party for 4th ID on Fort Hood. There was a little over 200 soldiers that arrived back today. Now I always knew that soldiers sacrificed for our freedom, and have never taken that for granted, but today when I had the chance to witness the return of some of our troops from Iraq it was a truly humbling experience. I do not know what I expected when I got up early this morning to make the 40 minute drive to Fort Hood, but what I experienced has really made me stop and appreciate even more what these soldiers are doing for us, not some of us, all of us. People that bitch about our armed services need to go to one of these parties, so that they know that while we all reserve the right to have an opinion about our government and how it operates, we should ALL give 100% of our support to the people that, by choice, fight for our right to complain while leaving their family and friends behind to go to a foreign country for 15 months straight. Complain about the Management all you want, but thank the person that fights for you regardless of your status or race. Next time you see a soldier take a few minutes out of your busy consumer driven life and use them to say thank you to ANYONE that has ever served in OUR military.This little girl was waiting for her Daddy to come give her a hug. She was only a little bitty baby when he saw her last... Now she is up and running around waving her little flag PROUDLY.I took some time to stop and talk to this girl who was waiting for her husband to return home. They do not have kids, but he loved his dog so she drove all the way from Oklahoma with the dog so it could be there for him when he got back to Texas.Her husband was able to be there for the birth of his little baby girl, but hasn't had the chance to hold her again since then.This was really cool... They had firetrucks lined up making an arch of water for the buses that all the soldiers were in to pass under. They were flanked by Apache Helicopters and a half-track was leading the way. My apologies if I am calling something the wrong thing, but that is what I believe that I heard they were called.The first guy off the first bus.They lined everyone up and had a prayer thanking the Lord for allowing them all to come home safe before they allowed them to cut loose and run to their loved ones. I have to admit, while they were all standing at attention and the pastor was saying the prayer, there have been few times in my life that I was as proud as I was to be living in America and to have people that believe in our country enough to risk their lives for it daily.Happy to be back in the Land of the Free.Once they let the soldiers be with their families, I tried my best to not take anyone's 'moment' but walked around snapping pictures. This one reminds me of the famous picture of the guy in his Navy uniform kissing his girl in Times Square on New Years.This soldier is holding his beautiful little baby girl for the first time. It was once of those moments that took my breath away, I can not even fathom the emotions that he must have felt.Another special moment that I had the pleasure of being in the presence of...I am thankful that I have a job that allowed me to go to an event such as this. Everything happens for a reason and maybe I needed a little bit of a refresher on how lucky I am to live in the United States of America, and how I should go a little out of my way to let those that have made this the Land of the Free know that I am thankful. So let me take this chance to let anyone that has taken the time to read my blog that has served in OUR military that I truly appreciate all the sacrifices that you have made to help us ALL have a better life. Thank you.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

I went to the Disturbed Concert at the Bell County Expo Center on Tuesday and took some pictures of the people in line and talked to them for a while. It was fun. I could have gone to the concert but really felt no need to go to see Disturbed, Sevendust, and Skindred when I had no idea of any songs that they play that I like. I wasn't even going to go out there at all but in the end had to help out a friend and take some supplies out to the Eagle van to help set up the music. I wondered up to the line of people waiting to get in and asked how long they had been waiting... and the first two in line had been waiting since NOON. I didn't get there till 5:30... So I thought for their perseverance they should go on my blog...In casual conversation I asked them what they do... The girl is a 'Housewife' meaning she is unemployed, and the guy told me his job was 'Professional Cagefighter'... I felt the need to upstage him at that point and the only thing I could mumble out that I could think of that sounded cooler was that I was a 'Shark Hunter that Sky Dived'. I mean seriously, whats cooler than being able to say you are a cagefighter.As I stood there talking to the two people in the front of the line, I noticed the guy to their left and the fact that the girls to his left were refering to him as 'statue man'. My keen sense of observation realized about ten minutes later that is was because he did not move or talk... I wanted to get him out of his shell. So using the awesome power of peer pressure I got him to pretend he was a statue in a running man position. It was everything that I hoped and dreamed it would be...These are the three girls behind him... The one in the front threatened to steal my camera, the one on the right threatened to cut me and steal my hat, and the one on the left didn't have to threaten me because I was already scared of her... A wonderful concert like Disturbed, Sevendust, and Skindred really manages to bring out the best that Bell County has to offer...This a zoomed in picture of eagle van... For those of you with really good eyesight you will notice that the white van that you see is actually our competitors van parked between the eagle van and the line because they guy who was out there refused to park on the curb like SOMEONE told him to do. But its okay, he didn't want to get in trouble and get thrown in the Bell County Expo jail... grrrrr... Oh well... win some lose some...

Overall I had a great time going out and talking to people that I normally wouldn't get to talk to, but was very thankful that I went home and changed out of my dress shirt and slacks and actually managed to make it out of there without getting mugged or stabbed. All in all it was a good time. I also saved a few of the sensitive tiny hairs in my ears that help pick up sound by not going inside to the concert.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

The latest exploits of Rowdy brought me to Wild Country. Now understand that I am not exactly in my element when I am surrounded by cowboy boots, cowboy hats and told by a guy in a tuxedo shirt that I need to keep my hat facing forward, so I focused on not getting spurred and took pictures of what I went to take pictures of and then left.

Wade Bowens signing... Not a bad voice, but I don't think he actually smiled the entire night...Lance Wade Thomas opened for Wade Bowens. He was VERY excited to be Lance Wade Thomas.Peter Christian (left) is the afternoon DJ for our #1 Country Station US105.5.Jamming out on the guitar that we gave away that night with the Bud Girls... Showoff *smile*The EXTREMELY excited winner of the guitar...

All in all it was a good experience for me to get to go to my first Wild Country Concert. The club was really nice and they get some big names to play there. Perhaps I will get to go to the next one and take pictures and meet some big names in Country Music. Peter Christian has been in the business for a long time and has MANY contacts that I would love to wheeze on. Up next is a concert with HoneyBrowne. They are an up and coming country band that is getting a bunch of play on CMT right now in the 'Newcomers' Section that they play. Should make for a fun Friday. Also on Friday I think that we are going to take the fantastic Eagle Van (pictures will be on here before long) out to Ft. Hood and take some pictures with a bunch of soldiers coming back from Iraq at a big welcome back party they are having. Till then...